Fox's Revival
by Tiba
Summary: Naruto, as a young child has only one friend. When said friend asks what Naruto wishes for the most, Naruto asks for his father. AU. Rated K .
1. Setting

**Naruto, as a young child has only one friend. When said friend asks what Naruto wishes for the most, Naruto asks for his father. AU.**

 **Father/son Fluff. I haven't seen all of Naruto Shippuden so you will have to excuse my lack of info on Minato. Meant to only take place during the original Naruto show and before that. OOC since I never knew Minato's attitude.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or cover picture.**

Chapter 1:

Naruto was walking down a marked path in the woods. He had never seen this trail here before and it was quite common that he came down here since he wasn't allowed to walk around town without people giving him strange looks. So he continued following the path. A clearing was up ahead and the blonde picked up speed.

As he got closer, grunting noises and a piercing sound rang louder and louder. When he arrived at the clearing, a tall and thin figure had their back towards him. They had short black hair with a streak of silver. They wore a green vest with a red spiral on the back and had shorts with black tights underneath. They were wearing a mask but it wasn't visible to Naruto. The blonde looked up at him and then at the target he was aiming at. The Raven had hit a bullseye several times.

"U-um excuse me, sir?" Naruto softly asked the man. The masked Raven looked down at the blonde and turned and knelt down to eye level with him.

"Hello there." The black haired boy said as he placed his hand on Naruto's head. Naruto smiled as the man ruffled his hair lightly. "Who are you?" He said as he removed his hand.

"M-my name's Naruto." The blonde introduced and blushed. He couldn't remember anyone ever treating him like this. "What's your name?" Naruto asked, looking up at the ninja. The ninja removed his mask to reveal silver eyes with a ring of dark blue running around his pupils.

"I'm Ian. Are you lost out here?" The black haired ninja, Ian, asked. Naruto shook his head before replying.

"No, I was following your trail. I know how to get back home." He said as he pointed to the stone path that he had followed.

"Oh, you don't have someone watching you?" Ian asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Naruto shook his head again.

"No. My mother and father died in battle so I live alone." Naruto said. Ian frowned and a thought came to mind.

"Do you like ramen?" Ian asked the blonde and watched as the blonde became confused.

"Whats ra-man?" Naruto asked. Ian chuckled at his pronunciation.

"You are about to find out. Will you join me at a trip to Ichiraku's?" The raven asked, holding out his hand. Naruto hesitated before placing his hand in the older ninja's. Ian smiled and walked with him to the ramen booth. He noticed when he reached the village streets of Konoha, the villagers would give Naruto weird looks and whisper to each other. Some of the things that reached his ears were disturbing.

"The demon..." "The boy is dangerous..." "He should be locked up..." "I don't want you near him, Kiba..."

Whispers about such topics were echoed around in his ears and by the little blonde's facial expressions, he could hear them as well. Ian felt sympathy for him and stopped walking, looking around. Naruto didn't notice and continued walking. Ian knelt down and grabbed Naruto's torso. The blonde looked at him as he was lifted off the ground and placed on the raven's shoulders. Ian held onto Naruto's legs and they continued walking toward Ichiraku's.

Ian frowned as he saw the crowd piling up at the ramen shop. He placed Naruto on the ground and instructed him to stay there while he grabbed some ramen to go. The blonde agreed and stood, patiently waiting for Ian to return. A feeling in his gut told him he would abandon him because he was a "demon". But, that thought disappeared when the raven returned with two boxes wrapped in cloth. Ian knelt down and let Naruto climb on his back. They then headed to Naruto's residence.

When Ian walked into the room after letting the blonde down and opening the door, it took all his effort not to drop the two ramen orders in his hands. The home was trashed.

He placed the ramen on the table and looked around. Naruto was changing his shirt to a black T-shirt. He flattened it out once it was on and he walked over to a chair. Ian couldn't help but let a chuckle escape him as he saw the blonde struggling to move the wooden chair that was larger than him. Ian walked over to him and sat down on the chair before grabbing the blonde and placing him on his lap. Naruto thought it was a little uncomfortable to be like this infront of a complete stranger but he had to admit, he enjoyed the father like model Ian was trying to be. Naruto glanced down at the two boxes and Ian followed his gaze. He moved the ramen infront of him and untied the cloth. Two steaming bowls of noodles and a couple of other delicacies were present and the scent of the broth filled the air.

"Dig in Naruto." Ian encouraged as the blonde looked up at the ninja then back at ramen. He picked up two chopsticks and picked up some noodles, he placed it in his mouth and slurped it up. The warm noodles slide down his throat with ease and he took another batch of noodles. After he finished his bowl, his stomach growled for more. Naruto sympathized with his stomach, he wasn't eating enough. Ian moved his own bowl of ramen that he hadn't finished; infront of Naruto. The blonde only smiled and thanked him. As Ian replied with "your welcome", he noticed it was already gone and the blonde had finished it.

After Naruto and Ian hung out for hours, it became night time. Ian wished he could spend more time with the boy but had remembered a mission he was meant to deal with and left the blonde.

 **R+R**

 **A/N~ Just setting up the scene, this was an introduction chapter. Real story begins next chapter.**


	2. Reviving

**Chapter 2:**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto...**

Several months later:

The blonde child ran down the stone path. He remembered every turn and easily made his way to the clearing. Ian was leaning against a tree, sleeping. Naruto only smiled and sat beside him. When Naruto made contact with Ian's hand, he awoke and looked down to see the blonde.

"Ah, good morning Naruto." Ian announced as he removed his snake-like mask. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Please, tell me about your latest mission." Naruto asked. He always meet up with Ian at this spot every week to talk.

"This week I had to deal with some robbers. They were robbing candles from a wax shop and when we arrived, they had lit the building on fire. I used a water jutsu to make a wave that covered the shop and extuingushed the fire and my teammate used an earth jutsu to capture them in a rock hand." Ian told the blonde his mission. Naruto was amazed by his teamwork and how successful he was at saving people and their possessions. After that, Ian would treat the blonde to a couple of bowls of ramen and they would eat it at the hill that overlooked all of Konoha.

But, Ian had a sad expression when he offered Naruto his unfinished bowl of ramen. Naruto took it, not noticing the frown.

"Hey, Naruto. I wanted to ask you something." Ian said, placing his chopsticks on the ground.

Naruto looked up from the bowl of noodles. "What is it?" He asked.

"I know this is sudden, but, if you could have anything, like, if I disappeared. What would you want?" Ian asked.

Naruto placed the bowl down and looked down at the leaf village. "Well, I've always wanted to meet my father. I don't know anything about him though."

"What about your mother?" Ian asked. Naruto kept silent.

"Are you going to disappear?" Naruto turned to look at Ian. Ian looked down and sighed.

"I have to protect the Land of Fire. I'm going to join the war against the Land of Sound. You must understand, I may never come back. So, I'm asking now, if you want something, tell me and I'll try my best to get it for you." Ian said. Not noticing the tears in the blonde's eyes.

"I- I just want a father that won't abandon me. That will love me, whether I am a " demon" or not." Naruto cried and curled his knees near his chest.

Ian felt like he was the culprit for his tears and an idea came to mind. "I- I have an idea. " Ian said, cheering Naruto up a bit once he told him what he needed and what he was gonna do.

Naruto nodded and ran down the hill to the Hokage building. He ran up the red stairs of the building and barged into the Hokage's office, covered in sweat.

"Naruto, do you need something?" Sarutobi questioned as he looked at the sweaty blonde.

"Yeah, I need any possessions my father had when he was alive." Naruto said. Sarutobi hesitated for a moment.

"Like, a picture, a shirt, pants, chopsticks?" The Hokage asked. Naruto nodded and Sarutobi thought for a moment before he opened a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a Hokage robe. He then looked back up at Naruto who seemed to be getting impatient. "Here." Sarutobi said as he held out the 4th's robe. Naruto didn't even give the robe a second glance before snatching it from the Hokage's hands and running off with it. Sarutobi had to wonder what Naruto was up to but figured as long as he wasn't pranking or wrecking the Hokage monument, he was more than likely to be fine with it.

He than ran as fast as he could, back to Ian. He wasn't watching where he was going and ran into a silver haired ninja. The book the ninja was reading dropped from his grip. Naruto toppled over. "Sorry..." Naruto apologized before getting back up, dusting off the white robe in his hands and running off. Kakashi watched the blonde run off with the Hokage's robe. Something weird was going on. He was tempted to follow when he remembered he lost his page of his book. 'Guess I'll start all over, from page one.' Kakashi thought as he opened the book to the first page and started reading.

Naruto ran up the hill that overlooked his hometown. When he reached the top, he noticed Ian leaning against a tree, asleep. He poked Ian and he woke up almost immediately. Naruto smiled and held up the Hokage robe. "This was what I got. Here!" The blonde said as he handed a shocked Ian the robe.

'Does he know this is a Hokage robe? I'll keep quiet about it.' Ian thought before putting his hands together.

"Alright, Naruto. What's your favorite animal?" Ian asked, closing his eyes and focusing his chakra.

"Well I like sna- Foxes!" Something random blurted out of Naruto and he held his hands over his mouth. Ian opened one eye to look at him.

"What's wrong? Do you really like foxes?" Ian joked as he released his hands and formed the fox symbol with his hands. He then placed both his palms on the Hokage's jacket.

A cloud of smoke erupted from the robe and Naruto started coughing when he accidentally inhaled the smoke. When it cleared, the robe was gone and replaced with a small orangish red fox that was the size of a young dog (Akamaru). He looked asleep. Ian, who looked very tired, was laying on the ground. Naruto looked over at Ian.

"Are you okay?" Ian asked, remembering the blonde's coughing. Naruto nodded and walked over to the fox. The fox yawned and curled up.

Ian smiled at the fox and weakly and unsteadily got up. The ground underneath him and Naruto shifted and caved in, making a huge hole in the ground. Naruto fell and noticed the fox starting to wake up slowly. It opened it's blue eyes and looked around. A sudden flash of orange covered Naruto's sight and he went unconscious. He heard an unfamiliar voice say "Thank you" before everything went black.

 **R+R, give me tips on how you want Minato to act. I've never met the guy, I don't know him.**

 **And just like that, I've officially gotten rid of my OC for a bit.**

 **Looking for a beta for this.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Meeting

**Edit: Please take part in the poll I have on my profile.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Chapter 3:**

 **The fox gets bigger as it grows more tails.**

"Naruto!" Ian yelled as he grabbed a ledge. He gasped and held his side in pain. The fox ran over and two tails emerged from it's back as it grabbed the blonde with it's paws. The fox sighed in relief and didn't notice the ground underneath him crack and slide down the hole. The ground underneath him shifted and the rock plummeted down to Naruto. He quickly tried to stop it but it smashed into the blonde. Ian yelled his name again as he quickly lifted himself onto the ground. The fox backed up and brought Naruto up with him. He sighed in relief again as he sat down. He then smelled blood and looked towards Ian. He placed Naruto on his back and walked over to the Raven. He lay on a rock, panting.

"Are you okay?" The fox tilted it's head. Ian faced the fox and sat up weakly.

"I don't think I'm going to last... I... Used a forbidden jutsu." Ian confessed as some blood dripped from his mouth.

"Hn." The fox nodded as he neared Ian's face and licked his cheek. His tongue glew a vibrant red. Ian felt the chakra rush through him and he smiled.

"Thank you..." He said as the fox pulled away. "I have to ask, since I'm confused. What's your name?"

"I'm Minato and I'm not really sure what's going on now. Since I answered your question, can you answer mine?"

"Well, I tried resurrecting the dead." Ian admitted as he stood up a little unsteady." I'm not exactly sure if you're who I was looking for. But, considering you are the 4th, I assume you'd know who the boy's father is." Ian said, kneeling to Yondaime.

Minato turned his head to face Naruto then back at Ian. "I know who it is, and there's no reason to be so formal. I'm not a Hokage anymore."

"Okay Yo- Minato."

Minato was about to continue when a loud whistle rang through the forest and Ian looked towards the source.

Ian bowed his head. "I'm so sorry sir, but my squad is calling me. Please take care of Naruto." He asked of him as he placed an ANBU snake mask on and disappeared into the woods.

Minato sighed and looked back at his son. He then looked at the ground infront of him. "I should've asked for an address..." He bite into the collar of the blonde's shirt and laid him down on the ground. He then returned to his one-tailed form and fell asleep on Naruto's chest.

It was night when Naruto woke up. He opened his eyes and sat up, an odd weight sliding onto his legs. He looked down to see the fox sleeping. He smiled and pet his fur which the fox then gave out a pur of content. Naruto then looked up at the sky and noticed the moon which stuck out like a sore thumb. The blonde picked up Minato and carried him home. He layed down and placed the fox beside him.

Minato was the first to wake at the crack of dawn. He noticed his different surroundings and jolted awake, alarmed that he was being abducted. But, that thought quickly vanished as the only other being in the room was his blonde son.

. . .

"Alright, has anyone seen Naruto? He's supposed to be here by now..." Iruka said, looking around the classroom before reading his clipboard.

Sakura huffed. "You mean he actually pass-." She was abruptly interrupted.

"I'm here!" Naruto yelled as he barged through the door with an orange fox on his shoulder. He had an irritated face.

"Good morning Naru-. Who's that?" Iruka asked as he pointed to the fox. He pet Minato's head before looking back at Iruka-sensei.

"He's my, uh, pet?" He smiled before heading to his seat. Iruka gave him a confused look before marking him as 'here' on the paper.

... "Team 7 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno," Naruto cheered and Sakura put her head on the desk, depressed. "... and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto sighed and switched roles with Sakura. Minato jumped off his shoulder before getting crushed and rubbed the blonde's head lightly. Sasuke watched the foxes actions. "Your team captain will be meeting with you shortly. Make sure to listen to instructions, especially you Naruto." Iruka smiled and left the room. Several captains including Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai came in as Iruka left and gathered their team together before leaving. The only one who wasn't their was (loveable) Kakashi. Minato looked around before lifting Naruto's head a little bit.

"Do you know who you have as captain?" The fox asked without opening his mouth. He was using a special link to communicate. Naruto grunted a "naa." Before turning his head to the side to look away from his team. "Okay, explain. now." Minato said as he placed his head back down and grew another tail, growing larger. Sakura looked as it expanded and backed up.

"What did you just do?" The pink haired girl asked as the fox looked at her.

"It's fine, he won't hurt you." Naruto said, lifting his head to face his father. Sakura sighed in relief and looked at her dreamy Sasuke who was staring intently at the now two-tailed fox. A hand moved the door open and Shikamaru came in. The first thing he saw was the swishing tails of Minato-fox.

"Hey, you guys still here?" He asked as the fox moved to reveal the rest of the team.

"Hey Shikamaru, need something?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru nodded and walked over to him.

"I left my kunai in my desk. I need to retrieve them so I can train." He said as he walked over to his desk and pulled out his weapon pack. He clipped it onto his lower waist and waved goodbye to Team 7 before heading back to Asuma-sensei. Naruto sighed of boredom.

A thought came to the blonde as he got up and grabbed an eraser. Minato only watched in amusement. Naruto placed a chair by the door and used it to place the eraser in between the top crack of the door. He smiled and moved the chair back to it's original place. Minato questioned it, the blonde smiled.

"This is his punishment for being late. When he opens the door, the eraser will fall on his head." Sakura facepalmed and Sasuke looked outside.

"Idiot, no one's stupid enough to fall for that." Sasuke commented as he heard footsteps from down the hall. The door opened and Kakashi poked his head through the doorway, opening it a bit. The eraser slipped and hit his hair, leaving a bit of white chalk residue in it as it slid down his head and hit the floor with a clang. Minato couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, he stopped as he recognized who had just been pranked.

Kakashi looked at the fox wide-eyed. "I was told, I had 3 students. Who are you?" The gray haired Jounin asked. Minato stood proudly.

"My names Mina- aru..." He said, remembering he was supposed to be dead.

"Minaru? Odd, your voice seems familiar." Kakashi said, deep in thought.

"I don't think we've ever meet. I'm Naruto's..." He stopped, feeling ashamed as for once being a Hokage. "...pet." Kakashi stopped his thought process.

"Very well then, I'll meet you at the roof for introductions and instructions on the genin test." Kakashi said as he dissappeared. Minato let Naruto on his back as he jumped out the window and up the side of the wall to the roof.

Kakashi looked at the wolf-sized fox come up the wall and join him on the roof. It was quite a sight to see he had to admit. Naruto pet his fox before dismounting him and sitting down. Minato wrapped his body around the blonde's back. Naruto leaned back into the fur of his father and smiled, waiting for his two teammates. Sasuke showed up, trying to act like he didn't care. Sakura was close behind and sat down near Sasuke.

"Okay. I guess I'll introduce myself..."

. . .

After introductions, Team 7 split their separate ways. Or so, split into 2 groups. Naruto and a one-tailed Minato headed back home with Kakashi in pursuit and while Sasuke's walking home, Sakura watches from a far distance.

Kakashi couldn't help but notice the villagers behavior as Naruto walked by with a look-alike Kyuubi. They would glare, whisper, or turn away. Naruto was talking with his father and hadn't noticed. In fact, Naruto wasn't paying attention at all and bumped into a boy younger than him. They both fell, making Naruto drop the fox in his arms and the boy yelping. Naruto rubbed his head before getting back up and apologizing. A much older woman that looked like the boy; punched Naruto and grabbed her child, fleeing.

"Naruto!" Minato yelped as the blonde fell back on him. Naruto rubbed his sore cheek and ran to his house. He knew his father wouldn't understand. Minato only grew two more tails and chased after him. Villagers screamed and ran away. Kakashi mentally facepalmed. Naruto turned a sharp corner and Minato couldn't keep his tracks as he slammed into a couple of garbage cans. He shook it off and started running after his son again. Oddly, Naruto had disappeared from sight. Minato smiled and smelled the air, he caught the whiff of Naruto and followed the trail. He came to a heap of orange and yellow. He nudged his son's shoulder.

"Naruto, do you want to tell me what just happened?" Minato asked kindly, sitting beside him. The blonde nodded and Minato smiled, grabbing his son by his neck and placing him on his back.

"We can talk over food, that sound good?" Minato asked and Naruto gripped his fur, embracing it. The fox took it as a yes and continued down the road to home. Villagers started coming back on the street and Minato could hear what they were saying.

"Don't go near him..." "...Dangerous..." "...Locked away."

Minato shook his head, pretending it was all in his head. Didn't he ask for his son to be approved? He hadn't asked for this.

Kakashi sighed and confronted the fox.

Minato stopped, looking at his student.

"Hello Kakashi." The fox greeted and his tails swayed.

"Hello Minaru, I wanted to talk." Kakashi said. Minato looked around at the villagers glares and shook his head, trying to forget the thought.

"Well, sure, let me talk with Naruto first." Minaru said as he continued walking home. Kakashi, without his consent, picked up Naruto who groaned as he lost contact with the fur of his father.

"You may want to change back, you are scaring people like that." Kakashi said, as the blonde in his arms shifted to be facing his green vest and wrapped his arms around his waist. He was sleeping peacefully. Minato nodded and two tails retreated so he only had one. Kakashi held out his arm to let the fox climb on his shoulder and continued walking.

When they reached Naruto's apartment, Kakashi layed down the blonde and let the fox down.

"Naruto, you should have dinner." Minato suggested to the blonde as he slowly got up. Kakashi nodded and disappeared.

"Dad, I'm really tired." Naruto said as he yawned to show just how exhausted he was.

"I know, but you should eat something before bed, and anyway, I still need to talk with you."

"Aw, okay." Naruto said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and boiled some water.

"I have to ask, since I've forgotten, but, what's the hand sign for a transformation jutsu." Minato asked as Naruto turned around and put his fingers in a cross-like symbol. Minato nodded and put his paws together in a cross-like symbol. "Transformation jutsu!" He thought.

Nothing happened. Minato sighed and tried to remember how he used to focus chakra. He then remembered licking Ian with his chakra. He tried the hand pose again and licked his paws. He concentrated before repeating "transformation jutsu" in his mind. A poof of smoke erupted at his feet and when it cleared, he looked like a Naruto clone with pointy ears and a very-oversized Hokage robe on, his hair was slightly darker with a tint of orange. Naruto turned around to see his twin.

"Dad?" Naruto asked in surprise. Minato rolled up his sleeves and looked at his hands. "Dad, how did you do that?" The blonde asked in an amused tone.

"I'm trying to return to my normal human state." Minato said as he looked at himself. "What do I look like?" He asked as Naruto handed him a mirror. Minato looked at himself but stopped as he inspected the mirror. A large piece of glass was missing from the side and it cracked all around. Naruto finished preparing ramen and poured the water into the bowl. He grabbed some chopsticks and sat down at his table, slurping up the hot, but delicious; noodles. Minato looked to his son then back at the mirror. He placed it down and tried again but only came with the same results. He touched his whisker like features on his face before sitting on the bed.

"So, you wanna talk about what happened earlier?" Minato asked. Naruto finished his ramen and threw out the bowl.

"Well, I'm not really sure why, but, the villagers treat me and tell me I'm some type of 'demon'." The blonde replied, sitting next to his father. Minato slowly forced Naruto to lean on his arm. "Sometimes, if I approach them, they hurt or attack me. I don't understand why though. I'm used to it, so, I'm not sure why I felt different today." Naruto said, closing his eyes.

"Even... Even when you had that boy with you?" Minato asked, a hint of fear and hatred in his voice.

"I always kept it secret. Even my birthday, Ian didn't know when I had my birthday. It's worse than ever on that day and I try to hide every year, but every year they find me." Naruto looked up at his clone. Minato was bothered how Naruto talked so calm on the matter.

A thought came to Minato and he smiled, rustling his son's hair. " I promise, this year it'll be different." He whispered as he layed Naruto down and fixed the blankets over him.

Before Minato walked out, he stopped to ask Naruto something. "Naruto, do you trust me?"

Naruto made a sound similar to "dad" before he drifted to sleep. Minato smiled and walked out of the small apartment.

Minato let out a held in breath and walked down to where Kakashi-sensei was, reading his book. The Naruto clone cleared his throat and Kakashi immediately looked up.

"Hey Nar-uto?" The Jounin looked at him confused.

"Hello Kakashi, this is Minaru." Minato said, trying to be formal but, his brain was scattered with childish thoughts.

"Uh, might I ask what're you wearing?" Kakashi asked, grabbing a piece of the Hokage robe. Minato panicked, why didn't he remember to take it off?

"Oh, its just, uh, something... Naruto gave me! I didn't want to wear his clothes." Minato tried with an unconvinced Kakashi. Kakashi sighed and slid off the robe. Minaru pouted. The Jounin folded it up neatly and carried it in his arms.

"Let's take a walk." Kakashi said as he pointed toward the road. Minato nodded and walked beside him.

 **Sorry that took so long. Enjoy anyway and review!**


	4. Pending

**So many questions! 'Probably only a handful will be answered... In this chapter!**

 **Please R+R**

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Please check out the poll on my profile. Vote please!**

 **I updated chapter 3 to say I had a poll but didn't alert anyone. Oh well...**

 **I also am going to have more time on the holidays to write but I can't promise anything. This was written on my phone so make sure you warn me about any spelling errors or grammar issues that you spot.**

"Target is directly north, 17 feet. I'm intrusting him into your hands Salamander. I'll head south to report this." A dog masked girl ordered as she started back towards camp. Salamander looked forwards and began running towards a clearing. He looked down to see a blonde haired ninja.

He jumped down from the tree he was perched in and put the blonde in a headlock. "Hey! Let go of me!" The ninja cried out as he tried to escape the hold.

"Who do you work for?" Salamander asked. The blonde stopped struggling.

"Work for someone? I'm not affiliated with anyone! Now, please let me go!" The ninja told as Salamander released him.

"Sorry, mistaked you as a rogue ninja." The lizard masked man apologized before turning to head back to camp.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you." The blonde said as he placed his hand on the masked mans shoulder. He smiled as he held up a paper bomb and it lit on fire.

"Will you hold this!?" He shouted as he placed the paper on the ninjas back and it exploded.

The blonde jumped out the smoke, unfazed by the explosion. The smoke cleared before revealing a burnt and wethering away log. The ninja cursed himself out loud and looked around. A sudden and fast paced shuriken whizzed past the blondes cheek and scratched his cheek. He grunted in pain and put his hand on the scratch.

Salamander charged from behind with a kunai. The blonde quickly turned around to face him as he dodged Salamanders kunai. He put his hands together. "Wind style: Wind Dragon!" A gust of wind blew past the blonde and formed a large tornado. The top of the tornado curved to face towards Salamander as a dragons face and slender body formed. It roared and struck downwards at the lizard masked man. The masked lizard put his hands together quickly." Fire style: Flame sword." He said quickly as he released his hands and threw his hand up in a slicing motion towards the incoming dragon. The dragon roared again as it ignited and turned to smoke which soon cleared to nothing. He then charged at the blonde. "Fire ball jutsu!" He announced as he took in a large breath and exhaled towards the ninja, which left a large hole in his mask that revealed his lips. The blonde was engulfed in the fiery ball. He put his arms up in defense.

A laugh erupted from the fire as it started to go out and reveal the blonde, bruised and burned as he clutched his side, laughing till he dropped to his knees. Salamander neared him, holding out a ready kunai.

"I'm finished now so I'll tell you a little secret." The blonde smiled as blood trickled from his forehead and slowly crept out of his mouth. "The sound village?" He chuckled and closed his eyes. "Was something my boss made up and possessed one of your men to spread rumours about us. To be honest, I'm glad, I never really liked him anyway..." He admitted as he layed down and fell unconscious. Salamander made a sound of confusion as he kneeled down to check the rogues pulse.

Nothing.

A sizzling noise began under the man and Salamander knew exactly what it was. He jumped into a tree, turning to watch the explosion and finally heading back to camp to report this new information. He was glad. No war after all this. He didn't realize his thoughts clouding his senses as another rogue ninja jumped off the ground underneath Salamander and appeared in front of him.

"Vacuum Blade!" The ninja announced as wind spun around the kunai in his hands and formed a long blade. He swung at Salamander. Salamander watched as the blade sliced into his shoulder. The rogue ninja smiled and forced the sword deeper into the masked ninjas flesh. Salamander kicked the rogue ninja away and he dropped to the ground. He looked over at his fresh wound and watched as the wind blade dispersed and returned to a normal kunai. The rogue ninja dropped from the sky and into the view of the ANBU. He charged again and held up a wooden staff. Salamander moved out of the way. The rogue ninja then spun around fast in circles. He thrust his staff into the air and then to the side. Salamander backed out of the wooden staffs range. Another ninja appeared from behind the unsuspecting ANBU and threw a couple of shurikens at his back. Salamander was about to jump up as pain from his shoulder jolted all throughout him and his reaction was slow. He jumped as the shurikens neared him and was merely out the way when a strike hit him in the heel and he fumbled to grab the above tree branch. He pulled himself up as the shuriken whizzed past him and hit the ninja with the staff in the stomach. He dropped to the floor immediately as blood spilled from his wounds. The other rogue growled at this and looked up to the ANBU.

"You'll pay for that!" He yelled out frustratingly and jumped up to a tree branch that leveled out to the one Salamander was standing on. The rogue, with no warning or signs of this action, quickly pulled out a handful of shurikens and thew them at the ANBU. Salamander couldn't endure enough pain to dodge and watched as the shurikens whizzed past him and stuck into trees behind him. An invisible force pressed against his chest and ankles and bound him to the tree. The rogue ninja smiled sadistically. "That was my best friend! I'll see you suffer so he didn't die in vain!" The rogue spat out.

"I didn't throw shurikens at him though..." Salamander commented as he felt an awkward air pass by.

"Don't you dare blame his death on me!" The rogue demanded as he threw a kunai at Salamanders shoulder. The wound screamed at him and he struggled at the binds." Now, die you stupid shin-." The rogue stopped as the edge of a blade ran threw his stomach and he dropped his kunai. His footing on the tree under him was lost and the masked dog ANBU behind him; caught him before he fell. Salamander sighed in relief as Dog walked over to him and cut the strings that had him bound to the tree.

"Thank you." Salamander thanked as he smiled at Dog. She nodded and looked over at his shoulder. He followed her gaze and looked over at his shoulder that still had a kunai running through it. He grabbed the hilt of it and took it out. Dog then nodded at him and headed towards camp. Salamander followed in pursuit.

. . .

Naruto woke to a throbbing pain in his head. He sat up and held his head. He got up and weakly walked over to the fridge. He opened it and grabbed a bag of ice, placing it on his head. He layed back down and curled into his blanket. His door creaked open and closed very gently. Naruto turned around with squinted eyes but saw nothing. He shrugged it off and dozed off again.

"Good morning Naruto." The blonde heard shuffling in the room. He slowly opened his eyes to see a clone of his boiling water. He groaned and rolled over in his bed, too tired to get up. Minato frowned. He went to the cupboard and pulled out some pre-made ramen and opened the lid, pouring the water into the cup. Naruto immediately perked up to the smell and sat up. His father smiled as he neared his son with the soup. Drool practically escaped his lips as Minato placed it on his lap. "Eat up!" Minato smiled as he recommended it. Naruto nodded and split apart the chopsticks and began eating. Minato sat on the side of his sons bed.

"And when you're done, we can head over to the training grounds so you can start your journey as a ninja."


	5. Fighting: Part 1

**On my phone, again:**

"Ya know, I didn't expect you to come and save me." Salamander started as he landed in front of a wooden cabin.

"Don't mess up or I'll leave you to die next time." Dog advised as she opened the door to reveal a homey and relaxing interior.

Salamander sighed as he sat down on the couch. "You should be more excited. I've saved you PLENTY of times."

Dog stayed silent as she sat down on the table, crossing her legs and looking at papers that were scattered.

Salamander turned to look at her. Not a single noise, even as Dog picked up and put down papers.

"Alright," Dog broke the silence to stand and walk to the door. "We should report back to the Third now."

"Right!" Salamander jumped up and followed.

. . .

Naruto sighed as he looked over at his father.

"He's supposed to be here by now." The blonde sighed as he looked back up.

"Be patient, I'm sure whatever he's doing is, uh, useful." Minato tried as he smelt the air.

"I hope so." Silence once again.

"Hey Naruto." Sasuke greeted in a not so greeting voice as it was as dull as ever.

"Sasuke!" Sakura practically screamed as she arrived.

"Hey quit it out Sakura!" Sasuke pried as the pink one hugged him tightly. He managed to keep her at bay with his hand on her head.

"Why are you two late?" Naruto asked. Sasuke made a "tch" noise in response.

"Dobe, it's none of your business." Sasuke scoffed as he looked around.

"Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet." Naruto thought aloud and Sasuke nodded. Sakura tilted her head confused.

"What da ya mean, he's not here yet? He's supposed to be the first to arrive." Sakura announced and Sasuke turned away from her.

Minato smelled the air once more before looking at Naruto and shaking his head. The blonde sighed and leaned against a tree and Minato sat by his feet. "Something wrong?" Sasuke asked, not in a caring tone.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I just want to get this over with."

Sakura scoffed and crossed her arms. "This test is going to decide if we all pass or not. You better not mess this up!" She practically barked harsher then Akamaru ever could. Minato growled and bared his teeth at her and she backed away.

Naruto leaned down and hugged his father, petting his snout in the process. "She didn't mean to sound so harsh about it, calm down." The blonde lied as the fox turned and looked his son in the eyes. He then nodded and layed down. Naruto went back to his position against the tree.

"Hello!" Kakashi greeted from in a tree branch. All three teammates looked up at him.

"You're late." Sakura announced and Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Well, you see a black cat crossed my path and I had to avoid it so I wouldn't get bad luck." Kakashi lied, laughing nervously.

"You liar!" Sakura responded, crossing her arms again.

"Anyway, Lets begin the training, shall we?" Kakashi asked as he walked onto the training field and stopped by three wooden posts in the ground. The three teammates followed, with Minato on Naruto's shoulders." My test is much harder then any other test. This is a bells test." Kakashi said, holding up two bells. "The objective is to steal the bells. If you manage to get one, you pass."

"But Kakashi-sensei, there are only two bells?" Sakura asked.

"Which means, one of you will not pass." Kakashi looked over at Minato and Naruto then back at Sakura who was in the middle. "Lunch will be served after both bells are taken, no eating before and come at me with the intent to kill." Kakashi then eye smiled and pulled out a book.

"And... Begin!"

All three teammates scattered and disappeared.

"This should be amusing." Kakashi stated as he started to read.

. . .

'Okay Naruto, you got the plan in your head?' Minato asked and the blonde nodded. The fox then licked his paws and put them in a cross like symbol. 'Transformation jutsu!' A poof of smoke and suddenly the fox looked exactly like Naruto.

There were no differences.

"Ready to go now?" Naruto asked in a crouched position, his father nodded and copied position.

"Alright, lets go!" Naruto whisper-yelled as he charged straight towards Kakashi. The Jounin smirked and dodged, he then got behind Naruto, putting his two fingers together, his eyes glinting with determination.

"Leaf village secret finger jutsu:,"

Sasuke tensed up and watched Naruto intently. 'That's a fire jutsu hand symbol!'

"One thousand years of death!" Kakashi poked Naruto in the bottom and sent him flying. Kakashi stood up and dusted himself off. "Never let your enemy get behind yo-."

Something was approaching, and fast! Kakashi sensed as he turned to see another Naruto powering up a blue ball jutsu in his hand. He squinted to see what it was but as it got even closer he had no choice but to block it. He put his hand to the ground and immediately a blue sparking ball of electricity formed in his palm. As Naruto jumped to maximize the jutsu's damage, Kakashi blocked it.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" Kakashi asked, only earning a smile in response, a poof of smoke and the boy had disappeared. Kakashi looked around, putting his book away.

"Guess it will be more interesting then I thought."

 **And... That's it for this update. Sort of a cliffhanger, but also not. Merry Christmas to all that celebrate! If you don't, then you don't. It's all cool. Happy Hanukkah as well for I didn't have an update by then. I'll probably be posting every other week? Who knows? Thanks for getting this far!**


	6. Fighting: Part 2

**Chapter 6:**

Kakashi looked around, putting his book away.

"Guess it will be more interesting then I thought."

. . .

Naruto waited in the bushes, rubbing his sore behind.

'Okay, let's begin step 2.' He heard his father say to him telepathically and nodded.

He put his hands together. "Shadow clone jutsu!" He whispered as a clone appeared beside him. The clone nodded at him as they both rushed Kakashi. The jounin looked towards them.

'Still not using the right technique.' Kakashi noted as he watched them near him. He felt another presence and looked to see the Uchiha heading towards him. Now he was confused and he looked back at the two Naruto's. He readied himself. Another presence right behind him! He felt something slam right into his back.

He turned his head around. Minato had kicked him from behind. He caught himself and pulled out a kunai. Minato smiled and charged at him again. Kakashi tried to hit him with the kunai but the boy caught his wrist. He then gripped his other arm, making them immobile.

'Eh?!' Kakashi couldn't believe the situation he was in right now.

He glanced at the two Narutos who were only a few feet away. He watched the two jump on him and strangle him. One clinging to his neck with there legs around his waist and the other who was hugging both his legs.

Sasuke paused to think over what to do. Typical Sasuke.

Sakura was nowhere in sight.

"Sasuke?!" They all turned their attention to the woods.

Kakashi smirked at the distraction and got out of Minato's hold. He elbowed the shadow clone clinging to his neck. With a poof of smoke, it disappeared. Naruto managed to focus back on the test and trip his sensei.

With an 'oof,' Kakashi was on the floor. He sighed and felt the two blondes sit on his back.

Sasuke walked over to the two of them.

"Want a bell?" Naruto looked up at the Uchiha. He 'tsked' in response.

"No," He crossed his arms and turned away. "That's not the real Kakashi-sensei."

"What!?" Naruto shrieked as he looked down at Kakashi who smiled and turned to a cloud of smoke. Both blondes fell onto the floor.

One bell was on the floor. Sasuke glanced over at it to see Naruto eyeing the bell. "That's a real bell." Sasuke announced and watched as Naruto picked it up and observed it.

"Here, you should have it." Naruto said as he held up the bell in front of Sasuke. He grinned sweetly and stood up, Minato standing up as well.

Sasuke put his arms down. "You earned it. You want to pass, don't you? You keep it." Sasuke said and Minato turned to look at his son.

"I do, but I wouldn't be dead last anymore, so I want you to take this bell." Naruto said as he put his hand closer to Sasuke. Sasuke scoffed and took it with no hesitation.

With one last smile, Naruto was assigning Minato to go help Sasuke find Sakura.

"What are you going to do?" Minato asked.

"Nothing much, I promise I'll be fine." Naruto reassured as he ran in the other direction.

Sasuke put the bell in his pocket and followed Minato.

When they finally reached Sakura, she was in a haze and leaned against a tree.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Sasuke asked.

"She's in a genjutsu." He said as he looked back over at the pink haired girl. "Which means she is seeing, hearing, and feeling an illusion right now." Minato stated.

Sasuke glanced at Minato then back at Sakura.

"I'll go help her." Minato said, walking over to Sakura.

Minato put his hands on the girls cheeks, lifting her head slightly as he neared her face. He opened his mouth and licked her cheek. Her eyes came back into focus and she looked at the person right in front of her with his tongue still grazing her skin. She clenched her teeth and tightened her hand into a fist.

She growled and harshly yelled the blondes name (Naruto) as she tried to punch him. He dodged and backed up, letting out a sigh of relief and holding up his hands.

"You were stuck in a genjutsu." He announced but she still looked very mad.

"So you licked me?!" She shrieked. He rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm not really Naruto!" With a poof of smoke, he was back to his fox form.

"Oh, well I'm sorry." She apologized. Minato squinted at her, just making sure that this was truly Sakura.

"Okay, now we need to find Kakashi-sensei." Minato said as he smelled the air and frowned. With a sigh he continued, "never mind, just follow me." The fox ordered as he began walking. Sakura and Sasuke followed.

As they followed, they heard voices getting louder.

"Why did you decide to do this?" They all heard Kakashi ask.

"I didn't want to drag anybody down. I'm just a bother, so I'm trying to make myself useful." Naruto answered. Minato looked back at the two kids behind him, it was obvious that at least one of them couldn't hear the conversation.

The whole group stopped and looked over the open field. Naruto was bound to one of the three wooden posts. Kakashi was sitting on top of the wooden post, reading his book. "Will you let them pass now?" Naruto asked, looking up. Kakashi sighed and put his book away.

"You can come out now!" He said loudly as Minato walked out of the hiding spot, followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

"So," Kakashi jumped off the post and stood beside it. "I've finally decided on whether you pass or not." He said, folding his arms.

"No one passes." He announced bluntly. Naruto looked down at the ground, Sasuke scoffed, and Sakura shrieked a 'what?'

"We will eat lunch and then you will be sent back to the academy." To which, all three students jaws dropped. "Since Naruto here wanted lunch before the test was over, he won't be allowed to eat. Don't feed him! I'll be right back." Kakashi said as he walked away into the forest.

"Great." Naruto lowered himself slowly down and sat down. Minato sat beside him.

'Why did you do that?' The fox asked through telepathy.

He didn't answer as he began to pet his fathers fur.

Sasuke handed Sakura a box of food and they both started to eat. Naruto looked back up at the sky. His stomach growled for food but he didn't need the pity so he stayed quiet.

Minato sighed and smacked his face with his tail. Naruto jumped and looked down at him. "Hey, that hurt." He grumbled and looked down at his feet. Another growl, this time a little louder.

Sasuke sighed and scoped up a piece of chicken onto the chopsticks. He walked over to the side of Naruto and held up the chicken. "Here, eat this." Sasuke said as he put the chicken close to Narutos mouth.

"Kakashi-sensei said no so I'll have to decline." Naruto shook his head.

"You need to eat. Now take it, Dobe." Sasuke pried.

"No, eat mine!" Sakura said as she also sat beside Naruto. 'Cha! Sasuke won't get in trouble!' Inner Sakura shrieked. Naruto looked at the both of them.

"But he said not to!" Naruto announced as both of them brought their chopsticks of food closer.

'Naruto, it's fine. Just eat. They are willing to get in trouble just to feed you so take their offer.' Naruto heard his father in his mind.

"Well, okay." The blonde finally gave in as the two other teammates fed him.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?" Kakashi boomed as he appeared right in front of all of them with a wide eye and his eyebrows furrowed.

"He was hungry so we just gave him a little bit of food and..." Sakura was interrupted.

"I was the one to accept their offer. It's not their fault Kakashi-sensei." Naruto announced, struggling at the ropes around him.

"Is that so?" Kakashi asked, turning his eye to stare at the blonde.

"No, we did this together as a team, everyone's to blame." Sasuke spoke up, standing in front of Naruto in a defensive like stance.

"That's right Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura agreed as she also stood in front of the blonde. Naruto smiled, nodding in agreement. There wasn't much else he could do.

"Okay then, the whole team will be punished." Kakashi eye smirked as he put his hands together. "And the team punishment is..."

There was a long pause as Kakashi wanted suspense to build. Naruto tensed, hoping for nothing too harsh. Sakura bit her lip, wishing she didn't have her ninja 'career' end like this. Sasuke crossed his arms, he knew their Sensei was just messing with them.

"You all pass."


	7. Complaining

**Thank you all readers for... Well... Reading, I guess. I don't like this chapter all that much because it feels rushed. Just a heads up!**

 **Chapter 7:**

"Alright, Naruto, are you in place?" Kakashi asked

"Yes, the target is insight." The blonde nodded at him before turning his head to face a few bushes.

"Sasuke, I assume you're in position as well?" Kakashi asked, facing the raven who gave him a nod in reply.

"Hm, and Sakura?" Kakashi finished as he turned back towards the bushes.

"I'm ready when you are." He heard the pink girl respond.

"Okay, go!" Kakashi ordered as all three of the Genin jumped out, Naruto practically crushing the captive.

"Red ribbon on the left ear? Got her!" Naruto smirked before the cat in his arms started to scratch up his face, he shouted in pain.

Kakashi sighed. "Target Taro the cat captured. Mission completed. We'll head back to the Hokage tower now."

Sakura giggled before following Kakashi and Sasuke back to the Hokage tower.

Naruto followed as well, keeping the cat away from his face.

"Mm, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto began.

"Yes Naruto?" The Jounin hummed.

"Why are we constantly getting stupid, crummy missions like catching cats?" The blonde asked, which Kakashi sighed at.

He saw the red building getting very close and decided to bury the question. He didn't feel like he needed to answer it.

"Good job on your mission Team 7. Please give Taro to the customer so she can be on her way." Iruka ordered and Naruto gave the cat to the large woman.

"Oh Taro, why would you run away from mommy? I was so worried!" She cried, squishing the cat up to her face. The cat growled and squirmed in frustration but to no avail did the woman release him. "Thank you, young shinobi." She smiled as she payed the reward money and walked out with her cat tightly in her arms. Team 7 then turned their attention to the Hokage.

"Good job, your next mission?" Sarutobi began, looking through a scroll with the letter 'D' on it. "Ah, babysitting a few kids from Konoha orphanage." The Third nodded to himself.

"Babysitting! Why can't we have a real mission?" Naruto burst out. Kakashi stared at the blonde. He was going to get in trouble for that later.

"Genin are marked down for D ranked missions only. Once you become a Chunin you can take C ranked missions but until then, you'll just have to deal with babysitting, catching animals, and cleaning." Iruka stated, crossing his arms.

"But we are capable of so much more!" Naruto claimed. Kakashi eye smiled and put his hand over his mouth. This conversation needed to stop before...

"I'll give you a C ranked mission guarding someone." Sarutobi finally pitched in. Kakashi sweat dropped. This was what he feared.

"Yes! Is it a feudal lord? Or maybe it's a queen?" Naruto asked, the Hokage only shook his head.

"Please, come in!" The Third announced as a door opened and an elder man with a bamboo hat entered.

"These are the Shinobi that are going to protect me?" The man said cockily, practically crawling under Naruto's skin. "The short one with a stupid face doesn't even look like a ninja!" He boasted, laughing a little.

"Who's the shortest?" Naruto asked as he looked at Sasuke, who was taller. He then looked over at Sakura, she was taller too. Naruto growled in realization. "I don't have a stupid face!" The blonde retorted. Kakashi sighed and gripped the boys shirt collar, stopping him from attacking the client, who smiled as he saw this.

"My name is Tazuna. Tazuna of the Land of Waves and master bridge builder." The man introduced. "Let's head out so I can reach home by evening." He smirked before turning around and walking out the door.

"Good luck on your mission." Iruka announced as Team 7 left.

As soon as Tazuna and Team 7 were at the gate, all of them stopped. Naruto started his way outside when Kakashi gripped his shirt collar again.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" The Jounin asked, earning a frown from the blonde.

"I'll go get him." Naruto announced, running off into the streets of Konoha.

"Where's he going?" Tazuna asked. Kakashi turned to look at him.

"He has a pet that he forgot at home." Or so he says, Kakashi thought.

"How do you forget a pet?" The bridge builder asked. To which Kakashi didn't respond.

"I'm back." Naruto announced as he smiled.

"His pet is a clone?" Tazuna questioned, looking at the two Naruto's. The only difference was one was wearing an orange jumpsuit. The other was wearing a navy blue shirt with a red swirl in the center, a white robe with red flame designs on the ends that ran down just a little past his knees.

"My name is Minaru, I am Naruto's pet and guardian, I guess you could say." The one with the white robe introduced.

"You don't look like a ninja anymore then he does. Why do you look like him?" The bridge builder pondered.

"Because I like being human and I can't transform into something I've never seen." Minato lied quickly.

"I see, I guess we should head out then." Tazuna advised as he began walking out of Konoha.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he walked into the forest. Minato stepped closer to his son before whispering to him. "Are you excited for your first real mission?" The Fourth asked.

"Excited! That's not even a quarter of how thrilled I am!" Naruto shouted, no longer keeping the conversation at a whisper.

"I'll try not to intrude, but if I sense danger, then I'll help you out." Minato smiled and Naruto smiled back.

"Those two are certainly close." The bridge builder commented.

"Ah, yes they are. Reminds me of someone that was once close to me." Kakashi replied.

"You must've been close to them too. It just doesn't seem like a pet\owner relationship at all." Tazuna stated. Kakashi nodded and looked down at the ground. His foot just barely stepping in a puddle. He smirked and looked back up.

Minato looked at the puddle and noticed his student had saw it too. He eyed Kakashi before continuing down the path, scooting a little closer to Naruto protectively every step they took.

A large metallic pair of claws formed from the water and two large figures erupted from it. Chains shot out of their wrists and wrapped tightly around Kakashi. Everyone stopped to watch the scene. Both men then yanked their arms back, pulling the chains even tighter as Kakashi split into several pieces.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto and Sakura shrieked.

Both men turned around to face their opponents. One towards Minato and Naruto. The other toward Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna.

Sasuke and Minato, as if in sync, both lunged at their targets. Both enemies, shot a chain at their approaching targets. Minato and Sasuke quickly threw out a few shurikens, pinning both chains to a tree trunk. Sasuke then cut the middle chains links, disabling any future use.

'Tch, showoffs.' Naruto thought, clicking his tongue.

Both rogue nins lunged at the three remaining targets. Naruto, Sakura and Tazuna.

The ninja raised his metallic claws and lunged and Naruto. The blonde couldn't think, his mind clouded in fear and shock. He raised up his arm in defense. He let out a gasp as he felt the metal pinch his skin, then cut it open. "Naruto!" He heard his father yell out to him.

He opened his eyes, pieces of metal flying before him. He looked over to see the orange fox father of his with his teeth in the man's arm. He let his arms drop as he noticed Kakashi had the other ninja unconscious and in his arms. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt himself get a little unsteady. Kakashi quickly threw the two rogue ninjas into a tree and tied them up.

"Naruto are you okay?" Minato asked, shifting to his clone like form and running up to him.

"Y-yeah, just a scratch, that's all." Naruto stuttered, holding out his arm to reveal the long scratch. It dripped red and a sickly purple.

"It's infected with poison. Maybe you and Minaru should head back to Konoha, in fact, we all should head back to Konoha. This is no lon-." Kakashi was interrupted.

"No, we will continue this mission! I feel fine!" Naruto announced, to which everyone looked at each other nervously.

"If only we could just get the poison out..." Sakura pondered.

Naruto smirked as an idea came to mind and he pulled out a kunai.

'Just get the poison out!'

He stabbed the kunai into his cut and traced it's mark before reaching the end and removing the now purple liquid covered kunai.

"Naruto, are you insane!?" Minato shouted, caressing the boy's arm in his own.

"I got...the...poison out." Naruto said with a smile, his eyes fading to a dullish daze. Kakashi took out some bandages and nudged Minato with them but he refused. He grabbed the boy's wrist and pulled it close to his mouth. He began licking his wound, hearing everyone gasp at first but then quiet down.

By the time Minato had reached the tip of the cut, all of it was healed. He looked up at his son's face to see he had gone unconscious. He stood up and put his hands together, releasing his Henge and picking up Naruto with two of his tails.

With three tails swishing rapidly and his son comfortably on his back, Minato then turned to face the rest of the group.

"Please continue, what were you saying earlier?" Minato asked Kakashi, his head slightly tilted to the side.

"Uh, ah yes. I was saying that this mission is no longer a C-ranked mission."


	8. Wondering

**Short Chapter 8:**

"Uh, ah yes. I was saying that this mission is no longer a C-ranked mission."

"Huh? What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, turning to look at him.

"Well, for starters, these ninjas are trained well and are assigned for assassination's. Of course, I knew they were going to attack us but I stayed quiet, wanting to know who they were after. When I figured out who it was, I officially deemed this mission as a B-ranked mission." Kakashi explained, turning his gaze to the bridge builder.

Tazuna sighed. "Fine, I'll admit it. This isn't just about rogues or thieves." He crossed his arms, looking to the side." A man by the name of Gato, I'm sure you know who I'm talking about, has taken over our village. "

"If you had just told the Hokage that you were being targeted by Gato then we could've sent out higher ranking shinobi." Kakashi claimed.

"No, I couldn't have. Gato has limited our funds to a scarce amount. Even with all of the towns people money were we just barely able to pay for this." Tazuna countered.

"I see." Kakashi pondered for a moment. "Then we should head back to the village."

"But Kakashi-sensei, we can handle ours-."

"No, Sakura, listen to your sensei. He's right, Naruto needs rest. You look like you've just ran 50 miles. Sasuke," The Fox began, looking over the raven."uh, nevermind." Minato sighed, turning back to Kakashi. "Let's all go back home."

"But, what about me? I have to get home too." Tazuna asked and everyone turned to look at him.

"Perhaps you could stay at Konoha for a day or so until we sort out a solution?" Minato said in a questionable tone.

Kakashi shook his head. "The Hoka-." Minato interrupted him.

"I'll talk to him myself, don't worry." The Fox said in a blunt tone.

"But... I have to finish this bridge as soon as possible!" Tazuna argued.

"Getting Jounins that can escort you is the safest and quickest solution." Minato countered and turned back towards the leaf.

"So after all this we are just heading back home?" Sakura asked and Minato nodded.

"Yes."


	9. Listening

**Status update: I've been drifting away from Naruto because Shippuden got a little boring for me. I'm not very far though so if I get something wrong then excuse me. Open for requests**.

 **Also:**

 **Minaru- Fox form; Fake name**

 **Minato- Naruto Clone form**

Chapter 9:

Team 7, Minaru and Tazuna finally reached Konoha as the sun reached it's peak and the moon was faintly visible.

With a nod to Kakashi, Minaru disappeared with Naruto. He quickly set him down on the bed in his apartment then appeared in front of Kakashi again.

"Come now, Tazuna. I'm going to talk to the Hokage about your land." Minaru said as he transformed into his human form and began walking down the street.

"I need to go to them now! They will die without me!" Tazuna pleaded, putting a hand on his chest and staying where he was.

"That's why we are going to talk to him." Minato countered, taking a glance at Sasuke and Sakura before facing back towards Tazuna. "I- I have a plan, but it's not easy to explain so will you just come with me?" Minato asked in a frustrated tone, earning a sigh from the old man.

"Alright, but I'm not paying a single yen to that man till Gato is gone for good." He claimed, walking towards the blonde.

"Don't worry, he's probably a reasonable guy." Minato chuckled, looking nervously away from Tazuna.

"Huh, you make it sound like you don't know him." The man stated, looking down at him.

"Of course I know who my own Hokage is." Minato quickly countered back, a look of disbelief and disgust on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Tazuna couldn't argue with him. To him, Minaru seemed like a guy you wouldn't want to make angry.

"Well that was odd." Sakura stated and Sasuke scoffed. Could she be anymore oblivious right now?

With a sigh, Kakashi turned towards his students. "I've got some important work to do so, see ya." He waved goodbye as he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sasuke made a noise of disapproval before turning to look at the faraway bodies of Minato and Tazuna.

"Now it's just me and you, Sasuke." Sakura hummed, not gaining the slightest bit of Sasuke's attention.

"Later." He quickly waved to her as he disappeared in a poof of smoke as well. Sakura growled before sighing and heading home.

Minato and Tazuna finally managed to climb up all the stairs and reach the door to the Hokage office. Before Minato could even knock, a loud, angry voice boomed from behind the door.

"What! They already left! No!" The voice cried out as the door slammed open and a masked man with bandages over his arm and shoulder raced passed the blonde and down the stairs.

"Sir, shall I go stop him?" An Anbu asked as Minato stood in the doorway.

Sarutobi looked towards the blonde and sighed a 'no' before dismissing her.

"Please, come in now." The Hokage announced as Minato and Tazuna shuffled into the room.

"E-Evening, Sarutobi." Minato greeted.

"Naruto?" He asked, confused at his new appearance.

"No, I will evaluate on that later. Right now I'd like to speak about the Land of Waves and their people, including Tazuna."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around, confused where he was. He swung his feet off the bed and slowly got up. He stretched his arms and legs, giving out a yawn as he arched his back. The blonde rubbed his eyes and sat down at the table to recollect his thoughts.

Why was he home again?

His head was a blur at the moment, he couldn't remember what he was doing last.

Something about really big ninjas with eh, metal gauntlets. And then his mind drew a blank.

He was home, not in the woods. Why was he home? He was supposed to be protecting. What it was he couldn't remember. But he knew it was gravely important. And he needed to help in any way he could. To save; something

Naruto jumped out of his chair and quickly grabbed his pouch. He was going to catch up with the team and he was going to save the client. He quickly ran out the door, clicking his pouch into place and passing the gates of Konoha. Off to find Team 7 and the client!


	10. Watching

It had been an hour or two when the Naruto clone had come into his office and spoken about the Land of Waves. Sarutobi was baffled, he hadn't expected Naruto to be quite that knowledgeable on the lands, nevertheless on a financial scheme of things. Considering the young Jinchuuriki had never even left Konoha once. Maybe the ninetails was slipping information into the boy's thick skull. But all of it seemed reasonable now. The blonde coming in for the fourths robe and then running off. Why he had gained a fox companion that looked identical to Kyuubi. It was like finding pieces of an unfinished puzzle on the floor. It all made sense.

Someone used a Dead Soul Jutsu, or something similar to that anyway. Which meant trouble was no doubt to be brewing.

Of all people, it had to be his old deceased friend, Minato Namikaze. The man seemed to dismay his very being as unimportant and more weighing on the Land of Waves and their fate. All which was muffled through a tight, uncontainable hug from Sarutobi himself. When the not-so-young blonde broke out of his grip, he continued to inform the Hokage of the dire situation. Repeating what had taken place with two men ambushing them. And Naruto being poisoned, but then explaining he was at home resting.

Tazuna had no words, he hadn't made any progress on the puzzle before him in the form of a short blonde haired ninja. It was like he raged on the puzzle before even starting. So he stood quietly, watching Minato speak about him.

Sarutobi nodded as Minato had finally finished stating the facts. And only until an ANBU knocked on the door did the world come to a halting stop.

"This better be important, come in." The Hokage ordered as the door opened, revealing a man in a bunny mask.

"Hokage-sir, Uzumaki Naruto was seen leaving Konoha off in a hurry." The bunny-masked man saluted, emotionless as possible.

Minato's eyes widened. "Do you know which direction he went?" He asked the ANBU, but the soldier didn't seem to hear, nor make any move to respond.

"Rabbit, where did Naruto head off to?" Sarutobi had asked. The ANBU nodded at him.

"He sped out the eastern gates, sir." The ANBU answered, seeming to stare at the Hokage.

Sarutobi nodded at the ANBU. "Very well, you are dismissed." He stated as the ANBU nodded and left, closing the door.

Before Minato could address his next request, Sarutobi seemed to speak his favorite words. "If I'm as caught up as I'm supposed to be, Naruto will be looking for you and the client so," The Hokage paused, shuffling to sit back in his seat behind his desk. "Collect Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Hatake Kakashi and go off towards the Land of Waves to finish your mission. An ANBU will most likely run into you and join you." The Hokage stated, crossing his arms over his desk.

Minato walked in front of Tazuna. "Is it safe to bring Sasuke and Sakura along? They are only Genin." The blonde asked as if they were in the room. Hokage hummed in thought before whispering.

"It will be a learning experience, now get going. Don't want to show up too late." Sarutobi joked as Minato gave a curt nod, then proceeding to guide the bridge builder out of the building.

It had been two hours. Two hours for the world that was already in chaos to break in half. Two hours since Minato, Tazuna, Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura left Konoha and for hell to consume their lives.

Sarutobi, for once in an unbearably long time felt a sudden pang of worry (and possibly a few tears) hit him as he stared at the glass ball in front of him. Two hours. Two whole hours for the blondes hair to be colored with crimson red splotches.

Two hours.


	11. Losing: Part 1

**Not much to say about my dissapearance. I'm back now for how long I can't say.**

Naruto had finally reached the edge of land, spotting a man seated in a wooden boat, looking around aimlessly. The blonde stepped towards the man and caught his attention with a wave of his hand.

"Hello, my names Naruto Uzumaki and I'm looking for an old man by the name of Tazuni." Naruto hummed, seeming to remember the clients name. The man hummed, looking over the blonde genin.

"You mean Tazun-a, the bridge builder, right?" He asked, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Yep, I'm supposed to be protecting him from Goto." Naruto stated. The man frowned, it seemed maybe the bridge would never get finished.

"Well sorry kid, but Tazuna's not here." He claimed. "I've been waiting here for him but if you want, I could take you to the Land of Waves. If you're so bent on protecting him from 'Gato'." The man corrected, placing a hand firmly on the motor. Naruto nodded, stepping into the boat as it rocked underneath him.

The man then waited until the blonde was seated before beginning his way towards the village. Naruto placed his hands on his knees as he waited patiently to reach the land. It was his mission, no way was he backing out now. A red mark on the back of his hand sticking out like a sore thumb caught his attention, letting his mind rerun through the moment. This was because he stabbed himself, he stabbed his very own hand for the mission.

As the village came into view through the thick mist, Naruto seemed to cheer, mostly to himself. As the man continuing to steer the boat didn't seem to have a mutual feeling. As the driver cut the engine and docked by the shore, allowing Naruto off, did the boy realize how quiet the land was.

"This is as far as I take you." The man muttered, pushing the boat off the dock. "I'll be on the other side looking for Tazuna so you'll need a different transportation to get home." He stated, steering the boat back towards the main island. The blonde let the statement sink in before widening his eyes. Tazuna was not here. Which meant, Team 7 was taking a long time to arrive. Too long, that he had in fact left them behind, Naruto assured himself.

With a sigh, the blonde turned towards the Land and ventured forward. He would gather information and be able to assess the situation before Sasuke, Sakura, or Kakashi had time to figure out themselves. The thought still fresh in his mind as Naruto stepped up to a door and knocked on it.

It was all too sudden, the door opened ajar slightly, not enough to see anything of course, but just enough for the blonde to be curious. Then it swung open, a figure grabbing him roughly and pulling him into the house, before the door slam shut with a loud 'thunk'. As his face was roughly against a woman's chest, he had to ask. "Um, what's going on?"

"Hush, they could've seen you." She whispered. "You might have been killed. But do not worry, you may stay here." The girl reassured to a frowning Naruto. He didn't need saving, or he didn't think that anyway. The blonde pushed out of the woman's grip and looked up at her.

"Thanks, but I'm a ninja." He smiled, pointing up at his headband. The girl frowned, kneeling down to make eye contact.

"Did you bump your head boy? What's wrong with it?" She asked, touching his forehead. He looked up at her fingers, and realized the headband gone.

With a sigh he shook her hand off his face. "I forgot my forehead protector at home, and believed I still had it on." The blonde released a bit of air out of annoyance. The girl frowned, moving her hands down to rest on her knees.

"That makes no difference to how dangerous it is outside. If you plan on leaving, which I will not stop you if you persist, please proceed with caution." She sighed, standing and lightly ruffling his hair. "I would not wish for this village to lose another warrior." Naruto perked up instantly.

"Another warrior? This Gato person has killed someone?" The blonde pried, leaning a bit out of surprise. The woman rubbed her cheek sheepishly, frowning once more.

"Y-yeah. Killed isn't the word really, he was beaten to death. By Gato's hired men." She gulped, nervous and shying away. It seemed the topic really hurt to talk about, so Naruto stopped asking about it, making his way to the door.

"Gato seems like a bad person, so I'll be heading out now. Try and stop him." The blonde turned away, fixiting his hand on the knob to turn it. The woman sighed, slowly seating herself.

"If you wish to leave, then you may. I won't stop you. But please don't get yourself killed. I- I couldn't -." Naruto didn't have to turn around to see the woman was sobbing. He wanted to comfort her mourning, but how he wasn't sure, and so he opened the door and left.


End file.
